U.S. Customs, the Border Patrol, and the Coast Guard. Are these the guys you would typically want to see on your return sail home from Havana? Probably not, unless you were in some sort of maritime distress. But that's exactly the situation two gents from the Fort Myers, Florida area found themselves in about two weeks ago.
Today, they were indicted on various smuggling charges that could net them 20 years in the clink - enter stage right - the U.S. Attorney General's Office.
They were bringing home precious Cuban contraband. As a matter of record, 364 boxes of Cuban cigars, 30 pounds of Cuban coffee, 45 bottles of Cuban rum and 100 cartons of Cuban cigarettes were seized from the boat.
The two guys in question, Martin Sengeis and Douglas Hiner, were sailing their 51-foot sloop home from Havana when Sengeis ran it aground (for unknown reasons). A Coast Guard crew responded. While checking things out, the Coasties saw a bunch of Cuban goods in plain view aboard the boat, which precipitated the response of the Border Patrol and Customs. 26 specialized smuggling compartments were then found in the boat.
This eventually lead agents to a storage facility where they found 27,000 various Cuban cigars and over 40 bottles of Cuban rum.
Treasure Island...?
1 comment:
Innaresting...would have been easier to score some of that stuff at a duty free stop on a cruise. A guy I know did that, but only got a box of Cohibas for his father in law. He got sorta nervous at customs in Nawlins, but I think this guy you speak of is more likely the type they're after. I wonder if this would still be considered smuggling if there were no embargo--dodging tarrif, what have you. Who knows...
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